Kinley Larsen for the win! Larsen gets the shooter’s roll on this DEEP three with 1.8 seconds left to give Strafford a 67-66 win over Skyline. pic.twitter.com/FaNvgdrYmy
— Ozarks Sports Zone (@OzarksOzone) December 30, 2024
By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
SPRINGFIELD, MO – Kinley Larsen added another page to a rapidly-expanding resume during Monday’s Pink Division semifinal round.
Held scoreless in the first half, the Strafford freshman poured in 15 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter – including a 27-foot game-winner with 1.8 seconds remaining to propel the No. 2 Indians to a 67-66 comeback victory over No. 3 Skyline.
“(Kinley) was ready for the moment,” Strafford head coach Dustin Larsen said. “She was frustrated in the first half and, you know, she’s learning on the fly here, just like the whole group is. Tonight we had several people step up. She made that great last shot, but there’s just so many people that stepped up and did great things, so great team effort.”
Fueled by a smothering defensive effort, Skyline proved to be the early aggressor.
The Tigers forced Strafford into 7 first-quarter turnovers and jumped out to a double-digit advantage with a 20-8 opening burst.
“We’re not very big, so we have to trade something to get more possessions,” Skyline head coach Kevin Cheek said. “These kids here, they’ve run and trapped and pressed the ball a long time, so experience has a lot to do with it. If we can get you to turn it over, our day usually goes a little better than normal. They’re smart enough and experienced enough to play in a half-court set, but that’s not really how they want to play.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Skyline held a double-digit lead for much of the first half and took a 37-27 lead into the break thanks to absolute showcase performance from Ashlen Garrett.
The Skyline senior erupted for 31 of her points in the opening half and finished with a game-high 49 points – connecting on 11 of 17 attempts.
“(Garrett) has done that a time or two in her career,” Coach Cheek said. “Our kids are smart enough to know that, once she gets it going, it kind of gets fed that direction. She’s a tough matchup.”
For Strafford, the first-half challenge was simply to weather the Garrett storm and work to gain any bit of momentum during the second half.
“Any time you play a great team, the physicality is going to come into play,” Coach Larsen said. “We got a little sped up, and I thought our kids just settled in and continued to stay the course. That’s what you’ve got to do in these games, and that’s what we’re super proud of – our kids have been consistent with digging in and getting it done.”
With both Kinley and Elsie Larsen drawing a considerable amount of defensive focus from the opposition, Strafford needed another answer in its comeback effort.
Enter Brooklyn Adney.
The Indian senior scored 17 of her team-high 23 points in the second half, including a pair of free throws with 1:46 left in the game to give Strafford its first lead of the day at 64-62.
“We knew there was an advantage there (with Adney), and we wanted to make sure we took care of that advantage,” Coach Larsen said. “She stepped up huge, and that’s stuff she’s very capable of.”
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF THE GAME
For Adney, the success was merely a result of Strafford’s second-half effort.
“We really picked it up in the second half, and it really fueled us on offense and defense – even when things weren’t going the way we wanted them to,” Adney said. “I knew I could get downhill and get to the basket, and knowing my teammates and coaches had confidence in me definitely helped.”
A Garret 3-pointer and free throw on successive trips gave Skyline a 66-64 advantage and set the stage for Kinley Larsen’s end-game heroics.
Certainly a tough spot for a freshman; however, at least one senior wasn’t surprised.
“Oh my gosh,” Adney said of the game-winner. “(Kinley) is a great shooter, and I knew I could count on her to make it. I knew it was going in – I knew it, I knew it.”
The victory moves Strafford (9-3) into the Pink Division championship against Kickapoo (7-2) tomorrow at 2:00 pm. Skyline (8-1) faces Rogersville (8-2) in the 11:00 am third place matchup.
Varsity Final: Strafford – 67, Skyline – 66
Skyline 24 13 13 16 — 66
Strafford 13 14 17 23 — 67
Skyline scoring: Ashlen Garrett 49, Kenzie Cheek 11 Sage Redd 2, Autumn Baldwin 2, Jaydin Barb 2
Strafford scoring: Brooklyn Adney 23, Kinley Larsen 18, Elsie Larsen 11, Evelyn Kraus 7, Zoe Allison 5, Trista Vanhorn 4
